Somewhere I could store my things, my very own creative space. Just for me, with no football, homework and all those other distractions that put me off working.

I had been looking for ages when I spotted this vintage desk on eBay and it was perfect exactly what I wanted.

I was lucky enough to win with my bid and had the bureau sat in my lounge within a week. It was like fate because within a week I had made the decision that I would be working from home a little more in the future.

I had spent some time scouring Pinterest for images of vintage inspired desks and had finally decided exactly how I wanted my desk to look. I decided on a vintage cream distressed exterior to match the rest of the furniture in our lounge, my only dilemma here was how to tie all the pieces in together.

For the interior of the desk I wanted a super girly, feminine space so decided on duck egg blue and a vintage floral pattern.

We started by sanding the whole cabinet to remove the veneer and make the surfaces porous. A wood base coat was then applied before applying 2 coats of chalk paint. I was a little concerned at first it looked so patchy. But I soon found that the key to chalk paint is the wax finish.

Before applying the final wax we sanded areas to create the distressed effect I wanted to achieve, and then waxed. After two coats I was thrilled with the final result, the wax seems to lift the paint and its appearance.

We finished the desk with Trinca Ferro ceramic door knobs. I think this was the biggest decision I had to make for the whole project. Trinca Ferro offer a huge selection of absolutely gorgeous door knobs, in fact I was so torn I chose a mix of 3 and used them on the existing furniture in my lounge too, thus tying all the pieces together.

And lastly I chose a vintage floral oilcloth to decorate and finish the inside of my desk. The bright but delicate floral gives it such a light, bright and summery feel.

I am absolutely thrilled with my vintage desk, and I actually feel so much more focused when working, rather than working in the kitchen or on the sofa where it is not as comfortable but much easier to get distracted.

I love the fact that I have my own little oasis that no one in the house will commandeer as it is girly and pretty.

34 Comments

Sarah this is so beautiful, you have done an amazing job with it. Love that your Mickey pen gets a look in too. A gorgeous girly space that none of the boys can touch…. perfect. I bet blogging is a joy sat at your new desk. Exciting times ahead xx

Ahhhhh so THAT’S what you wanted them for!!! It looks GORGEOUS — no wonder you’re thrilled with it!! Amazing what a bit of white paint and some knobs can do isn’t it? Well done treasure — love this!!! 🙂 xx

Oh wow I love it so much! I have an old bureau in my mums garage that would be perfect for this but we just dont have the space sadly. I would do the same as you though, just give a totally different look. Enjoy!! xx

Oh wow this is STUNNING!!! I love it! You have done an amazing job and what a gorgeous work space. I have a project that I am trying to work out when I can do – it’s annoying me so much as I can’t wait to get up-cycling! Xxx